The bloody ruler of Wallachia - a tiny state on the territory of modern Romania - Vlad Tepes Dracula, impaling everyone and drinking the blood of his victims.
He died almost 600 years ago in the battle for the independence of his country, was a deeply religious person, defended Europe from the Turkish yoke, he is credited with thousands of innocently executed people. So who was Vlad III Dracula really, why did he acquire such fame? We invite you to familiarize yourself with real historical facts about the life of Vlad Tepes.
The mystery of the name
His nickname Dracula, which, incidentally, originally sounded like Dracul (without the letter "a" at the end), Vlad III inherited from his father, also the ruler of Wallachia - Vlad II. His father was a knight of the Order of the Dragon, and he was supposed to wear the image of a dragon on his clothes.
The real Dracula
Movie Dracula But Vlad II transferred the image of the dragon not only to his clothes, but also began to mint coins with the image of this mythical monster. Coins very quickly came into use, which further strengthened the nickname Dracul for the ruler. His son Vlad III inherited this nickname, which later underwent some changes.
Promotional video:
The nickname Tepes Vlad Dracula received after his death and it means in translation from Romanian - "stake", literally "impaling". During his lifetime, he was not called that. This nickname began to appear in documents several decades after his death. Tyrant or fictional character?
Vlad the Impaler was indeed a tyrant, although many of his "atrocities" are greatly exaggerated. But many rulers of that time were tyrants - the atmosphere of constant internecine wars contributed to this. So why exactly did Dracula become so famous? It's all because of the novel about vampires by writer Bram Stoker.
Stoker wrote horror books, but none of them were anywhere near successful. And then he met a scientist from Hungary, who told him about Vlad Tepes and his atrocities. The writer had the idea to remake him into a vampire. In his work, Stoker distorted and invented a lot: in life Dracula was a prince, in a novel he was a count, he lived in Wallachia, the writer moved him to Transylvania. Naturally, Vlad slept not in a coffin, but in an ordinary bed.
Causes of atrocities
The years of his stay in Turkey had a strong influence on the psyche of the young Dracula. From there he returned as a mental cripple. The fact is that his father, in order to stay on the throne, enlisted the support of the Turkish sultan, who in response demanded a "bail". This word meant that to confirm his loyalty to the Sultan, the ruler of Wallachia had to send his eldest sons to Turkey.
So, Vlad Dracula, along with his younger brother, ended up in the Sultan's palace. They were then 14 and 6 years old, respectively. They spent 6 years in this captivity. There were also sons of other rulers subordinate to the Ottoman Empire. To show young people what happens to the disobedient, the Sultan daily organized mass executions in front of their eyes, impaling and ripping open their bellies.
This could not but affect the psyche of a young man. Later he applied all the lessons learned both in his own country and against the Turks. Another aspect that influenced his mental state was that the Sultan's son laid eyes on his younger brother, making him his concubine. And the third event, which finished off the psyche of young Vlad Dracula, was the news that his father's head was cut off in his homeland, and his older brother was buried alive.
Patriot and Liberator
Having occupied the throne after the death of his father with the help of the same Sultan, Vlad Tepes passionately dreamed of throwing off the Turkish yoke from his country. For several years he regularly paid tribute to the Turks, pretending to be submissive, and in the meantime he collected an army. Once he refused to pay tribute and declared open war on the Turkish sultan.
Subsequently, he defeated the Turkish army more than once, even with a small detachment, choosing such battle tactics in which the Turks believed that they were dealing with werewolves.
Fight against theft
Vlad Dracula overcame theft in his country, but with what methods! Every thief, no matter what he stole, had to be executed. Sometimes there were dozens of such executions per day.
His executioners were so adept at impaling people that the stake went out under the shoulder blade without touching the vital organs, and the poor fellow suffered from several hours to a day. As a result of such measures, theft has indeed been eradicated. They said that it was possible to drop the coin, and a week later to find it in the same place, since no one would dare to pick it up.
Imprisonment
Vlad Tepes spent 12 years in prison with the Hungarian king, where he ended up as a result of betrayal. It is said that even in prison his cruel nature manifested itself. Out of boredom, he caught mice and put them on small pegs. While he was in prison, notoriety about him and his atrocities spread throughout the neighborhood. When he stepped out and took the throne again, the people who had previously idolized him now began to panic fear of him.
Death of Dracula
Vlad Dracula died in a battle with the Turks, as historians testify, they did it. After death, his head was cut off. It is not known for certain where his grave is located, it is believed that on the territory of one of the monasteries.
Archaeologists have unearthed two graves on the territory of different monasteries, but none of them shed light on who is buried there. In addition, in both graves the head of the deceased was in place.
Religion in the life of Dracula
Vlad Tepes was a deeply religious person, he gave gifts to churches and monasteries in every possible way, made generous donations.
National hero
Vlad III Dracula ruled his country three times, each time losing the throne as a result of conspiracies and civil strife, each time returning it again. In total, he spent 10 years on the throne, but left in the memory of people not only the glory of a cruel man, but also the glory of a hero and patriot of his homeland. There are several monuments to Vlad Dracula in Romania.
Dracula's castle
Count Dracula is a literary character that has nothing to do with the real Vlad Dracula, but thanks to the novel, Romania has become a center of tourism for fans of vampire sagas and those who are just curious. Everyone wants to see Dracula's castle.
There are many castles scattered throughout the country, each of which guides say that this particular castle belonged to Dracula. In fact, Dracula himself did not see all these castles, since they were built after his death, which the guides are modestly silent about. But the real castle of Dracula still exists. Poenari Fortress is the real castle of Dracula. The house in which he was born in the city of Sighisoara has also survived.
By the way, this house now houses the Dracula's Castle restaurant.